Latest Events in Kyoto(February Updated)

The Kyoto Marathon course takes runners on a fascinating journey through the "City of International Culture and Tourism".Runners will pass through seven UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites and many other tourist attractions as they are treated to spectacular views of Kyoto’s scenery, including all five mountains where huge bonfires are lit during the Gozan no Okuribi summer festival.Adding charm to this annual event staged in an urban setting, a portion of the course will meander through scenic downtown Kyoto. Runners will fully enjoy the attractions of Kyoto’s picturesque scenery and sites such as: Nishikyogoku Athletic Park, Teryu-ji Temple, Seiryo-ji Temple, Daikaku-ji Temple, Kyoto Botanical Garden, Hirosawa-no-ike Pond, Ninna-ji Temple, Kyoto Concert Hall, Ryoan-ji Temple and Kyoto Botanical Garden just to name a few.

Plants light up Kyoto's night sky and explore the hidden lives of plants. Kyoto Botanical Gardens is Japan's oldest public plant sanctuary with a century-old history. State-of-the-art lighting, sound and projections reveal nature's secrets. Step into the greenhouses, a lush sanctuary where melodies float through the air and vibrant plants exude energy. Four unique installations invite you to connect with plants in ways you never imagined. Attune your senses to the subtle rhythms and whispers of plant life and experience their invisible communication. It's an invitation to activate your senses and discover the universal sounds of nature like never before. Get ready to see, hear and explore the diversity of plants on display.

A religious event of the Agama sect held every year at the traditional end of winter. Yamabushi (monks) dressed in costumes march in procession with axes, bows and sacred swords to symbolically purify the boundaries of the site. Then gomaki (wooden prayer sticks) painted with worshippers for the dead and asking for prayers are thrown onto the woodpile and burned. The flames reaching high into the sky are a sight to behold. Other things to watch are shugen-daiko drumming and gagaku (traditional court music). There are special bus routes for worshippers and visitors from all over the country.

Samata Kazuki is an unconventional artist who, alongside her artistic practice, is also a professional disc golf player. While participating in the sport as a player, she has used unique strategies to address various issues facing sports, such as sponsorship, society and politics, nationalism, and gender. Furthermore, she expands on these issues to suggest that they are of the same nature as the challenges facing the art world today. Samata’s perspective, gained by illuminating art through the practice of sports, is original and persuasive precisely because of her dual identity as athlete and artist. This is the artist’s first exhibition at an art museum. Examining the Museum from multiple angles through the lens of sport, Samata will deliver a unique viewpoint while posing humorous questions to visitors.

Legend has it that the Kannon (Avalokitesvara) of Kiyomizu-dera Temple transforms into a blue dragon, and drinks water from the waterfall within the temple grounds at night. Therefore, the Yaksha (demon) is also worshipped there. This event is held specifically because of this legend, and also to pray for the well-being of those who come to worship. This dancing blue dragon parades from Okuno to the cobblestone streets surrounding Kiyomizu-dera Temple. The blue dragon is considered one of the four sacred guardians of Kyoto. Besides the giant blue dragon, there are men dressed in traditional samurai attire, and the streets are filled with music and spectacular dances. It's truly amazing! Lunar New Year is on March 15th and April 3rd. Autumn is on October 15th, starting at 2:00 PM (2 PM).

This exhibition showcases the elegant dolls of Maruhei Oki, a doll maker founded in Kyoto during the Meiwa Era in the Edo period, displayed alongside paintings depicting Gosekku (“the five seasonal festivals”) and other seasonal events. Maruhei has a long doll-making tradition rich in exquisite craftsmanship, from costumes through to furnishings, based on the customs of the Imperial Court. Focusing on Hina dolls, which have long been loved by the Imperial household and other important families, and comprising Gosho dolls, Isho dolls, Ichimatsu dolls, and other dolls unique to Maruhei displayed alongside the works of modern painters from the Collection, this exhibition will reflect on the enduring beauty of tradition in Kyoto.

Hirano Shrine, with a history of over 1200 years, has been known as the Cherry Tree Shrine since ancient times. Currently, the shrine grounds boast 400 trees of 60 different varieties. Starting with Sakigakezakura, other varieties include Kocho, Ichō, Nezame, Gyoikō, and Kinugasa, cultivated specifically at Hirano Shrine. With such a diverse array of species, one of the shrine's special features is that you can enjoy the blossoms for an extended period. Starting annually on April 10th, a cherry blossom festival features a religious procession showcasing elaborately designed period costumes.

This exhibition will showcase works by 20 Japanese artists, focusing on artistic expression from the 1990s to the present, a period marked by increasing globalization and opportunities for Japanese artists to exhibit abroad. Using key concepts such as "identity," "body," "history," and "globalized society," the exhibition will explore the artists' reflections and practices on the relationship between the world and humanity, attempting to portray the viewer's experience of the works as a narrative, like a nautical chart recording the currents and swells of a voyage, or an encounter with an uncharted island. The title of this exhibition, "Sekai no Kotowari" (World's Words), evokes the idea of ​​renewing one's own thinking while refusing to easily interpret or assign meaning to the unknown, much like the use of katakana to write foreign words and new concepts. There are countless answers to the question, "Where are we now?/Where Do We Stand?" It could be said that we are constantly tossing and turning, like a small boat floating on the sea. Nevertheless, we hope that this exhibition will provide an opportunity for viewers to discover their own world's words, as they seek a shared foundation and continue living.

This is a special exhibition focusing on avant-garde explorations and innovations in Japanese painting in the Kyoto region after World War II (approximately 1948–1970). The exhibition is held at the Kyocera Museum of Art, Kyoto (Higashiyama Cube) from February 7th to May 6th, 2026. It showcases works by over 30 artists, including pioneering painters and groups who challenged traditional concepts.

Taku Mitsuhashi (born in Kyoto in 1987) is a contemporary artist active in the field of Nihonga painting. He is also a full-time lecturer in the Faculty of Fine Arts at Kyoto City University of Arts and participates in the artist collective "Keichōen". The exhibition includes his work "Image Work (Walk and Pause), 2021," which explores the dialogue between tradition and contemporary art through visual language.